Noodle Goes Full Circle

The Noodle saga has come to an end.  It is sad to note that Noodle, the orphan baby Broad-winged Hawk, had a freak and unexpected accident during his rehab that ultimately resulted in him being put to sleep.  This was very sad and disapointing for all of those involved in his care.  This sadness, however, is tempered by the fact VINS was rehabbing another Broad-winged Hawk who breezed through the rehab process.  They were kind enough to allow me to release this beautiful bird back into the wild.  It was an amazing experience to see this bird take its first flight outside of an enclosure and I wish it the best of luck.

 

Remember the Noodle.

 

More pictures in Flickr.



Lions and Topis and Hares...Oh My.

 

We are back.

 

A Kenyan safari was definitely time well spent.  Wildlife viewing far exceeded our expectaions (we were within 10ft of adult lions and saw tens of thousands of wildebeest) and we spent time with the excellent Maasai people.  It was an outstanding trip in every regard despite the 26+ hour travel time on our way back to Vermont. 

 

The animal tally:

giraffe, hippo, warthog, dik dik, lesser kudu, eland, oryx, common waterbuck, Defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, wildebeest, impala, Grant's gazelle, Thompson's gazelle, gerenuk, cape buffalo, zebra elephant, ground squirrel, African hare, black-backed jackel, golden jackel, genet cat, lion, cheetah, serval cat, yellow baboon, vervet monkey, Egyptian mongoose, dwarf mongoose, banded mongoose, spotted hyena, agama lizard, nile crocodile, leopard tortoise, and birds too numerous to count (highlights being ostrich, 3 types of vulture, 7 types of eagle, secretary birds, hornbills, several owls, and some seriously awesome songbirds)

 

We will be eager to tell you all about our trip.